1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an antistatic (static-inhibited) and ionically conductive resin composition.
2. Prior Art
Resin in general is an electric insulator because of its high surface resistance and volume resistivity but the very characteristics favor generation of static electricity to charge its surface.
This generation of surface charge, in turn, favors deposition of dust on resin products to adversely affect their appearance and quality and may cause a disastrous explosion. For this reason, a variety of techniques have been proposed for imparting antistaticity to resin. For example, the technique is known which comprises coating a resin product with a surfactant or an ionically conductive material.
However, the antistaticity imparted by such technique tends to disappear or be attenuated upon frictional contact with or cleaning of the resin surface.
It is further known to incorporate into resin compositions an electrically conductive material, such as a metal powder, a metal fiber or carbon black, for shielding from electromagnetic waves or removing static electricity. However, for a resin composition to acquire electrical conductivity as a result of contact of electrically conductive particles contained therein with one another, it is necessary to add such particles in large amounts. As a result, one or more of the characteristics of the resin may be sacrificed, pinholes may be formed on the molded resin surface, the specific gravity of the resin composition may be increased, and/or the shock or impact resistance may be decreased.